If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Fall Medications

Ok, I have removed the honey supers from my hives and now Iím ready to do some fall medications. I donít want to over medicate. What should I start with? What order and what is really needed?
Thanks
Jay T

Re: Fall Medications

Barry,
You bring up a great point Iím a new BeeK and I donít know for sure what to look for, and I hate to medicate when itís not needed. Where would you suggest I look for maybe a check list of diseases to look for?
Thanks
Jay T

Re: Fall Medications

I was wondering the same thing. Considering the horribly long, wet winter and spring we had in Oregon this year, are there are any prophylactic treatments to consider to keep the hives healthy? Considering the sudden change in weather, I suspect our fall has arrived, too.

Like Jay T, I donít see any obvious problems, but Iím also not 100% sure.

Re: Fall Medications

How was the honey production?
How is the brood production?
Is the brood healthy?

Then-
what are your mite counts... drop method, alcohol wash, sugar roll method.
If you are doing the alcohol wash or sugar role, you need the bees from the brood frames (w/o the queen)

From there, since your weather has been rubbish, you might consider a pollen patty supplement. I am a firm believer in good nutrition. A diifficult growing season puts stress on plants. Stressed plants = poor pollen proiten.

then you might consider feeding fumagillin B for nosema prevention
and or terrimyacin for AFB prevention
And finally a mite treatment. Now for the mites, when you test them, realize that the mite count doubles in % every three weeks. At four weeks brood damage occurs. At this time of year, anything over 2% will see problems for the wintering bees. What this means is your chance of winter survival decreases.

If you are in a dearth and have pulled your honey, start feeding your hives so they can maintain strength and colony numbers for the winter. In our winters we feed about 5-7 gallons of feed for winter survival. this feed is given in a couple of weeks so they can dry it down and cap it before winter sets in reducing the amount of moisture in the hive for the winter
'luck

Re: Fall Medications

Also, if this is your first year with bees, make sure you have read up on treatments and understand the consequences of treating bees both prophylactically and as needed. Changing plans down the road can be costly.

Re: Fall Medications

>>August is a difficult time to work bees - it is hot and the bees have a strong inclination to rob. But there are vital tasks to be done that will greatly increase the odds for winter survival that we must do. >>Treat for varroa in early August - the latest you should delay is the 15th. Our objective is to raise a healthy crop of winter bees. Some of our mite treatments are hard on the bees too, and that is partly why it is important to begin your treatments early so that they have time to recover. >> http://www.orsba.org/htdocs/regionalbranch.php

Re: Fall Medications

I've been regularly culling drone pupae as my mite 'treatments'. (varroa prefer to reproduce in drone cells) I have a drone foundation frame in each hive where the queen mostly like to lay her drone brood. A few other drone cells get built here and there on other frames, but I let them have that.

I also leave the screen bottoms completely open, and keep some upper ventilation open as well. The bees seem to be thriving so far. I saw lots of new honey yesterday in the upper deeps, but I will be leaving that for the bees for winter stores. There are upper supers in place just in case they want to give me some honey before the end of the year, but so far they are just keeping busy filling and arranging things in their two deeps.

The little bee returns with evening's gloom,
To join her comrades in the braided hive... -Tennyson